If I Could Stay: Two Stories About Family, Fear, and Strength 

On August 23, Canal Alliance is proud to partner with CAFILM, Multicultural Center of Marin, West Marin Community Services, Youth Leadership Institute, On the Margins, Legal Aid Marin, and North Marin Community Services to cohost a screening of a new, independent film directed by Theo Rigby and Florencia Krochik.  

In order to create Si pudiera quedarme, which translates to “If I Could Stay,” Rigby spent five years following two immigrant mothers who made a life-altering decision: to take sanctuary inside churches rather than be separated from their children. Si pudiera quedarme shares the stories of Jeanette and Ingrid, two undocumented women who refused to disappear. 

When Rigby first began filming in 2019, both Jeanette and Ingrid were living in a continual state of fear, knowing ICE could show up at any moment and deport them. Every part of their lives was shaped by this fear: raising children, working with lawyers, and trying to live as normally as possible inside the confines of a church. 

Now in 2025, the stakes have risen again. Communities across the country are witnessing more and more immigration raids and fewer protections for asylum seekers. For Rigby, this makes his film feel all the more relevant than when it was completed in 2023.  

“We’re seeing increased raids, more surveillance, and fewer protections,” he said. “This story needs to be heard right now.” 

Rigby met Jeanette first in Denver. She was taking sanctuary at a church to avoid being deported and separated from her four children. A few months later, he met Ingrid in North Carolina. She was also a mother, also in sanctuary, and also fighting to stay with her kids. 

Right away, Rigby realized this wasn’t just a story about immigration. It was about strength, love, motherhood, and two women taking on public roles despite enormous risk to themselves. 

“They weren’t victims. They were leading. They were strategizing. They were raising their children and organizing press conferences from inside sanctuary.” 

Through the camera while watching Si Pudiera Quedarme, we see the reality of their lives: holidays missed, birthday parties behind church walls, and long periods of waiting and wondering. But we also see joy, resilience, and community. These are women who stayed grounded in their purpose even when everything around them felt unstable. 

For many outside the immigrant rights movement, sanctuary sounds like a peaceful solution. But the film shows how complicated it can be. 

One of the most striking moments comes from Rev. Kelly Dignan, who opened her church to one of the families. She shares with incredible honesty how emotionally and financially draining the experience became, how even though she was devoted to supporting this family, she often felt overwhelmed and exhausted.  

“Sanctuary requires a level of commitment that is difficult to sustain,”. “Even people who care deeply can feel overwhelmed.” 

The same conditions that forced Ingrid and Jeanette into sanctuary are happening again, but this time they have intensified. In the first six months of 2025, ICE raids have surged across the United States. Asylum protections have been rolled back. Legal resources are harder to find. More families are being pushed into impossible situations. 

Si pudiera quedarme is not just a film. It is a window into what happens when families are pushed to the edge. It is a call to see, to care, and to act. 

If Jeanette and Ingrid’s stories stayed with you, you are not alone. Their strength reflects that of hundreds of families here in Marin and across the country. As Rigby reflects, “[These women] were doing this for their kids. That was always at the center.” 

If you feel compelled to act, here are Seven Ways to Be an Ally to Immigrantsright now.